In the world of mobile home park investing, skipping due diligence is like walking into traffic with your eyes closed. It sounds unthinkable, but we've spoken with far too many people who did just that—buying properties without basic checks, only to find themselves in situations they never imagined. Some managed to break even. A few even walked away with profit. But others faced losses that could've been easily avoided. Here are four real-world examples that still stand out from all the calls I've received.
$100,000 Sent—With No Property Info at All
One investor wired $100,000 to someone claiming to partner with him on a park deal. The problem? He had no address, no park name, and not even the full name of the person who received the funds. There was no contract, no written terms—just a phone call and blind trust. Unsurprisingly, the recipient disappeared. This wasn't a scam pulled off with high-level trickery. It was just a failure to pause and ask the most basic questions. A simple agreement or written document could've protected him, but none existed.
A Septic Disaster That Cost $900,000 in Fines
A new owner bought a 30-lot park and soon learned the entire property drained into a massive homemade septic tank built by the prior owner. When it failed and started leaking, the EPA stepped in—levying a $10,000 per day fine. The total eventually ballooned to $900,000. To make things worse, city officials confirmed that rebuilding the septic system wasn't even legal. The new owner hadn't realized the park wasn't on public sewer, nor had anyone inspected the system prior to closing. A quick check with the city and a licensed professional would've prevented this nightmare.
A $5 Million Mistake in Orlando
A Florida bank asked us to evaluate a mobile home park they'd taken back through foreclosure. The park was in terrible shape—overflowing sewage, water issues, and unsafe electrical setups everywhere. I told them it was only worth the raw land beneath it—about $400,000. Turns out, the previous buyer had never visited the property. They bought it based on the appraisal alone. A walkthrough or third-party inspection would've revealed these problems, but instead, someone lost over $4.5 million simply by not showing up.
A National Company Forgot to Measure
Back in the early 2000s, a large public company was scooping up parks across the country. In one park, they cleared out older homes to bring in new ones and raise rents. But there was a critical oversight—they never checked the actual lot sizes. The new homes they planned for were too long. The result? Only half as many could fit, and projected revenue dropped by 50%. It was an expensive miss that could have been caught with a measuring tape.
Closing Thoughts
Failing to do due diligence isn't just risky—it's avoidable. In all four cases above, the losses were tied not to market forces or unpredictable swings, but to skipped steps. No matter how eager you are to close a deal, doing the work upfront is what protects your investment. Before you sign anything, verify everything. It doesn't take luck to avoid these mistakes—it just takes discipline.